Consumer Reports recently tested a whopping 15,000 condoms (bought by one dude!) representing 20 models. Alas, there was no actual-use testing done in the lab on the slab, just the boring scientific stuff: packaging examination, stretching, measuring, filling them with liquid to check for leaks, and inflating them with air to the size of 5-gallon water jugs to check for strength until they popped! Wait, who said science was boring? (Check out the video above to see how they do it — try to ignore the cheesy wink-wink-nudge-nudge commentary.) Seven out of the twenty got a perfect score — they include one Durex, two Lifestyles, and four Trojan models — but to get the specific models and their exact ratings you have to be a subscriber. Damn you, Consumer Reports! But a little birdie told us that one of the best ones (receiving a perfect score in strength, reliability and leakage) was Trojan Her Pleasure Ecstasy and one of the worst ones (for strength and leakage) was the Night Light glow-in-the-dark model (though it definitely would give wearers the chance to recreate that awesome scene from Skin Deep).
YouTube user “MelodySheep” gainedattention recently for their brilliant auto-tune remixing entitled “A Glorious Dawn” of pioneering astronomer Carl Sagan lecturing, with an appearance by Stephen Hawking, on the magnificance of the universe in a manner that is both soothing and educational. There’s a new remix “We Are All Connected” that features yet more auto-tuned Carl Sagan. My favorite shows growing up were all those “Secrets of the Universe” specials so it’s no surprise that I really cannot get enough of this stuff! What better way to remember one of the great thinkers of our time?
National Geographic released an amazing gigantic online infographic depicting our humankind’s exploration of space over the past 50 years. The geekiercorners of the Internet, including this one (being a geek is a badge of honor, friends! Or at least that’s what I told myself while growing up) went predictably agog over this. There have been 9 missions to the sun. Maybe SUNfiltered can count as the 10th? Also, there’s only been one mission to Uranus. [Insert Beavis and Butthead's juvenile HA HA laughter here.]
Looking like something out a bio-mechanical experiment run amok, interactive media artist Mio I-zawa’s lifelike “mechanical tumor” is one of the more grotesque things I’ve seen. The pulsating tumor, “equipped with a series of motors and pneumatic actuators” responds accordingly to the stress experienced by the computer to which it is connected. View the must-watch video below for the full effect.
Science class is in session with Grammy award winning band They Might Be Giants as they teach the periodic table elements in this animated music video for “Meet the Elements” which debuted on Boing Boing. This song is from their new album Here Comes Science, which is aimed at entertaining and educating (or “edumataining”) children and adults.
When last we mentioned Body Worlds, the international exhibition of skinless cadavers with their muscles, nerves, and tendons intact displayed in various theatrical poses, people were in a huff over one pair of corpses caught in flagrante delicto (specifically, in the Reverse Cowgirl position). Well, we’re assuming since there’s no such thing as bad publicity, the show’s creators have decided to run with it by dedicating an entire exhibit to sex — though they promise it’s not to just catalogue a bunch of interesting Kama Sutra poses, but “to show the anatomy and the function.” The exhibit will apparently be tweaked depending on where it’s showing, as they consider whether or not to represent homosexual sex and how much clothing to put on or leave off the bodies: Apparently, Berlin needs more coverage than Zurich, while Switzerland is up for anything (natch)!
If you like to cook, or just enjoy a good meal, than you’re probably a fan of spices such as rosemary, thyme, clove, and mint. Turns out these seasonings can be deadly… to bugs. A group of Canadian scientists are researching the insecticidal value of these spices, and that could be good news for farmers looking to meet growing demand for organic fruits and vegetables.
We have a love-hate relationship with sex studies. On the one hand, they’re the bread and butter of this Naked Love blog (to wit: Study shows even cheaters’ guilt is selfish; Study shows the car doesn’t maketh the man; Study shows father knows best; Study shows some playas are just spreading the love; et al). But on the other hand, the science behind some of the sex studies out there appears flimsy to say the least. Take this “research”, which one site recently reminded us of: An Italian scientist by the name of Dr. Maria Cerruto claimed that wearing high heels improves a woman’s sex life. Hmm…an Italian woman looking to justify her Pradas? Color us suspicious.
On his excellent blog, the user-experience expert Nick Finck shares a TED video demonstration of Sixth Sense, a wearable gestural interface that grabs data from the Internet and allows you to interact with it in countless real-world ways. You can draw a watch onto your arm to check the time; pull up Amazon ratings for a book you’re about to buy, and then project everything onto the book itself; take photographs by forming a rectangle with your fingers; and so forth. Developed by Pranav Mistry of the MIT Media Lab, Sixth Sense is just a prototype right now, but the implications are amazing.
In this TED video, Pattie Maes gives a demonstration of Sixth Sense.
Killer spices: Rosemary, Mint, and Thyme
